Several members of the Save Carbon County Northface Project Committee attended Thursday’s Palmerton Borough Council meeting to give a second progress report on its campaign to prevent the renewal of the Northface Project permit when it expires in June.

Londa Ritchey explained the group’s primary goal is to prevent the approval of another 10-year permit to the Northface Project by the Department of Environmental Protection, and to ensure that the project is meeting the terms of their current project.

Additionally, Ritchey said they also want to ensure that DEP is providing adequate oversight of the project, and that the project is not simply a landfill project, but leads to a construction purpose that would benefit the community.

She said they now stand at 16 years into the project and Northface has only brought two-thirds of the fill it’s expected to bring in, and noted they’re now 10-plus years past the expected start of that construction, “and now we have the burden of the community to these toxic chemicals.”

On-site inspection held

It was noted that DEP held its first on-site inspection of the project in two years on July 9. While the Save Carbon County Northface Project Committee was not invited, several members of borough council were included.

The group plans to continue to correspond with Roger Bellas of DEP’s Waste Management Program and encourage close oversight of the project.

The group has obtained more information about the site including a mapped plan for the site, and also provided a copy of the map for the borough office files.

The group has also since learned that:

• 2,798,035 cubic yards of fill have been placed on this site. The amount of regulated fill to complete the project is 4,190,537 cubic yards.

• Only 3,141.71 tons of clean fill have been placed on the site.

• The site continues to accept regulated (toxic) fill.

• DEP has no authority to require construction on the completed portions of the plan and they will not require construction until all fill has been placed.

• The height limitations on the fill at Lot 1 have been exceeded but because the project is using Lot 1 as storage for clean fill this is not considered a violation of the permit.

• A permit to allow Northface to use slag as fill has been renewed for a full term of 10 years until 2036. Slag is not considered clean nor regulated fill.

Ritchey said the renewal of the permit to use slag as fill is a concern because it appears to indicate that DEP is willing to allow the project to continue for another 10 years.

She said the group continues to have correspondence with Bellas, and has also discussed its concerns with state Rep. Doyle Heffley who’s agreed to follow-up with Northface.

In addition, Ritchey said the group has been invited and plans to take a tour of the Northface site, as well as to organize a public meeting after their tour of the site to inform borough residents about the site.

“We’re asking for community help right now,” said Ritchey, who noted the group continues to gather signatures for its petition, and noted the public can sign it by going to savecarboncounty.com.

She said the group will continue its work and public pressure, as the next crucial point is when Northface files its request for renewal of their current permit, which is expected to be filed before the end of this year.

The petition urges DEP not to renew the Northface Project permit when it expires in June 2027.

Council members weigh in

Councilman Andrew Hollywood asked if they stop the toxic regulated fill, how would the project be completed.

Ritchey said by clean fill, which does not have exposure to toxic chemicals, as well as to hold them to a much tighter time frame.

Councilman Kris Hoffner noted “A lot of that fill they’re looking to use is slag. As we all know, that fill smells (like fish).”

Councilwoman Holly Hausman Sell said she was one of the council members who was on the “‘so-called inspection.’”

Hausman Sell said she’s called for DEP to step up and do more oversight, and that every permit Northface has applied for, the borough has voiced its concerns.

“I am concerned about the smell,” Hausman Sell said. “I am very upset by the condition of the road, it is a mess; I’m concerned about the way all of (Route) 248 looks (into Northampton).”

Those who are being affected by the smell were told to call 570-826-2511.

“One of the trucks was severely overweight,” Hausman Sell said. “I told them that’s not what good neighbors do (in building trust).”

Borough police Chief Tim Kromer noted that the police department has made about a dozen stops since that meeting.

Council applauded the Save Carbon County Northface Project Committee for their efforts.

The project has resulted in odors from the site and damage to local roads.

Hoffner previously noted the permit was issued in 2010 and said the borough has repeatedly raised concerns with DEP without success.

The project has faced opposition for years.

In 2021, Palmerton Borough, the Palmerton Area School District and Carbon County rejected a tax-abatement request tied to a proposed warehouse development on the former New Jersey Zinc property. Developers proposed up to 2 million square feet of warehouse space and projected about 1,500 permanent jobs, but no tenants had committed to the site as of 2025.